Abstract
BackgroundVentilator-associated conditions (VACs), for which new surveillance definitions and methods were issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are respiratory complications occurring in conjunction with the use of invasive mechanical ventilation and are related to adverse outcomes in critically ill patients. However, to date, risk factors for VACs have not been adequately established, leading to a need for developing a better understanding of the risks. The objective of this study was to explore care-related risk factors as a process indicator and provide valuable information pertaining to VAC preventive measures.MethodsThis retrospective, single-center, cohort study was conducted in the intensive-care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Japan. Patient data were automatically sampled using a computerized medical records system and retrospectively analyzed. Management and care-related, but not host-related, factors were exhaustively analyzed using multivariate analysis for risks of VACs. VAC correlation to mortality was also investigated.ResultsOf the 3122 patients admitted in the ICU, 303 ventilated patients meeting CDC-specified eligibility criteria were included in the analysis. Thirty-seven VACs (12.2%) were found with a corresponding rate of 12.1 per 1000 ventilator days. Multivariate analysis revealed four variables related to patient care as risk factors for VACs: absence of intensivist participation in management of ventilated patients [adjusted HR (AHR): 7.325, P < 0.001)], using relatively higher driving pressure (AHR: 1.216, P < 0.001), development of edema (AHR: 2.145, P = 0.037), and a larger body weight increase (AHR: 0.058, P = 0.005). Furthermore, this research confirmed mortality differences in patients with VACs and statistically derived risks compared with those without VACs (HR: 2.623, P = 0.008).ConclusionFour risk factors related to patient care were clearly identified to be the key factors for VAC preventive measures.
Highlights
Ventilator-associated conditions (VACs), for which new surveillance definitions and methods were issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are respiratory complications occurring in conjunction with the use of invasive mechanical ventilation and are related to adverse outcomes in critically ill patients
Of the 3122 patients admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU), 303 ventilated patients meeting CDC-specified eligibility criteria were included in the analysis
Multivariate analysis revealed four variables related to patient care as risk factors for VACs: absence of intensivist participation in management of ventilated patients [adjusted HR (AHR): 7.325, P < 0.001)], using relatively higher driving pressure (AHR: 1.216, P < 0.001), development of edema
Summary
Ventilator-associated conditions (VACs), for which new surveillance definitions and methods criteria were issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 [1, 2], are “respiratory complications that occur in conjunction with use of invasive mechanical ventilation (MV)” and are associated with prolonged use of MV, prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and increased mortality [3,4,5,6,7]. Ventilator-associated conditions (VACs), for which new surveillance definitions and methods were issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are respiratory complications occurring in conjunction with the use of invasive mechanical ventilation and are related to adverse outcomes in critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to explore care-related risk factors as a process indicator and provide valuable information pertaining to VAC preventive measures
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